Embrace, Entice, Emblaze (110 page)

Phoenix’s eyes went wide and he moved back, taking the

Scripture with him.

“That’s my girl,” Lincoln said in my ear.

Phoenix was evidently surprised by my reaction but seemed

equally shocked by his own behavior. “I’d never force you to do anything,” he said, as much to himself as to me.

“Every time you pull that stuff on me, it just makes me hate

you more.”

Phoenix regained his composure and slouched back in his chair,

but he was out of breath and clearly caught off guard by my ability to push him away.

“Easier for both of us that way, don’t you think?”

I glared at him. “You’ve got the Scripture. Now wake her up and get out.”

He stood up. Steph stirred, groggy, her eyes starting to open.

Phoenix tilted the Scripture toward me. “I’m sure I don’t need

to check this one, though I’m also sure you’ve made a copy. I’ll see you soon, lover.” He left through the back door.

I scrambled out of my chair and over to Steph. I knelt beside

her, pushing the hair back from her face.

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“Exiles are on the move out here. Have you got her?” Lincoln

whispered in my ear.

“Yes, yes— help me. Steph, sweetie, can you hear me? It’s Vi,” I said, trying not to cry. Failing. The door burst open and I looked up to see Lincoln bounding over wayward legs and chairs.

Steph opened her eyes fully and swallowed with difficulty.

“Vi?” she murmured.

“You’re safe. You’re back. I’m sorry, Steph. I’m so sorry.”

She half smiled. “Less sorry, more water.”

Lincoln reached the table. “How is she?”

“Thirsty!” I said, as if she had bleeding bullet wounds.

Lincoln smiled but was quick to grab a jug of water from the

waiter’s station.

He passed me a full glass and straw.

“Here,” I put the straw in Steph’s mouth.

“Thanks,” she said after a sip. “I’m okay. Out of it, but okay.” Then her head snapped up. “Dapper and Onyx? Samuel and Kaitlin?”

I exhaled. “Everyone’s okay. Onyx is still in hospital, but

everyone else is out.”

“They…they tried to stop them. Fought for me.”

“I know, honey, Samuel and Kaitlin are fine.”

She gave a weak shake of her head. “Not just them. Onyx and

Dapper too.”

Wow. I wasn’t surprised about Kaitlin and Samuel— they were

Grigori— but Dapper and, more astonishingly, Onyx, who would

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supernatural strength. I’d just figured they were caught unaware, not that they’d actually been standing in their way. It now made sense why Onyx had been in the hall— he was defending Steph.

“We have to get her away from here,” Lincoln said. He was still standing, facing the customers, guarding us. To the other diners, Steph had just appeared out of nowhere and was clearly unwell—

customers were more than just curious now.

“Steph, can you walk, just to the street?”

Lincoln nodded in agreement.

Steph started to get up. I supported her, putting an arm around her waist as gently as I could.

“How do I look?” she asked, once we were standing. I couldn’t

hold back the laugh— maybe it was delirium. Trust Steph to want a mirror straight away.

“Nothing a little foundation won’t fix.” Actually, it would take several bottles, but she didn’t need to hear that right now.

We walked out, people moving aside for us.

“Is she okay?” a waitress said. “We didn’t see her come in. Should we call an ambulance?”

“No, thanks, though. We’re just taking her home now,” Lincoln

said smoothly.

Steph hobbled but was stronger with each step. Whatever spell

they had her under was clearly lifting, and it appeared Phoenix had told the truth. Apart from the bruised face, she was in relatively good working order.

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four- wheel- drive. Lincoln grabbed the back door. Dapper was

already in there.

“Good to see ya, girl,” he said, looking at Steph, relieved. Steph crawled into the backseat with me close behind, and Lincoln

jumped in the front before we sped off. Steph threw her arms

around Dapper and he pulled her close, his hand gently smoothing the bruised side of her face.

“Thank you,” she said, before slumping back against me.

Dapper didn’t respond, just righted himself and looked out the

window as if it were nothing. It wasn’t nothing, though. They’d been there and tried to defend Steph when I hadn’t. I realized it wasn’t Dapper who owed me one at all; it was
me
who owed him, big time. And Onyx.

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chapter
thirteen

“Generally it is the tortured who turn into torturers.”

CarL JuNG

Steph fell in and out of consciousness during the drive back to Hades. I was nervous about taking her back there, but we needed to clean her up, and although my place was closer, with Dad around, it wasn’t an option. Besides, Dapper insisted.

Griffi n pulled up right outside the glossy yellow doors of the club.

“Where are Spence and the others?” I asked.

“Th ey managed to take out one of the exiles at the café, but

Phoenix was too fast. Just to be sure, they’re guarding the perimeter. Nothing will get near here tonight,” Griffi n said, clambering out of the car.

Th at’s something, I guess.

“Steph, are you awake?” I asked, not wanting to frighten her.

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aftermath could be. I swallowed back the thoughts, needing to be strong for her, do whatever she needed me to do to help her get through this.

She hitched a shoulder. “Mmm…kind of…”

I opened the door. “I’ll carry her in,” I said to the others.

Lincoln took hold of the door, careful not to touch me. “I’ll

do it.”

“No, I’m fine. I can do it!” I snapped, feeling the strain of everything that had happened earlier. I worked so hard not to be vulnerable around him and now, after what happened with Phoenix, I

felt completely exposed again. It made me sick, the power Phoenix had over me, but at least it didn’t grind into my heart and twist till I couldn’t breathe.

Lincoln looked at the ground. “I know you can. But it might

look a little strange— you carrying her through a busy bar. We’ll have enough attention as it is.”

I braced my hand on the car, pressing down hard. I was so angry now. With him, with Phoenix…with myself.

Steph stirred. “Vi, it’s okay. Let him take me.” She gave a

faint smile.

I sighed and stood aside. Lincoln didn’t look at me; he just kept his head down and reached in for my friend.

When we walked inside, Hades was, as always, full of activity. I had to do a mental count to figure out it was Thursday, one of the club’s busiest nights. Once again, I worried coming here had been the wrong decision.

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People were looking as we marched through the middle of the

bar, not bothering with discretion for once. I saw someone moving quickly from a corner, then coming closer.

“Oh no,” I said to myself. The floorboards suddenly felt like

quicksand, sucking me down, holding me in place.

I hadn’t even considered it. I should have, but with everything…

I didn’t think to check with Dapper if Steph’s brother was working.

He was pushing through the crowd, calling out our names. First

Steph’s, then mine.

“Steph, Jase is coming over here. We can’t tell him what

happened. We can’t bring him into this too,” I said urgently, all of my guilt at already having brought her into this world rising to the surface.

She looked at me, pausing to consider, and then nodded even

though her eyes were still semiclosed. “I’ll talk to him.”

That was all we had time for before he broke through the crowd

and was right there. Dapper melted back, obviously not wanting

Jase to know he was mixed up in any of this. We weren’t the kind of friends Dapper would brag about.

“Hey, man! What the hell are you doing with my sister?” he

yelled at Lincoln.

His hands were balled into fists and he looked like he was getting ready to throw a punch. He shot a look toward me.

“Violet. Are you okay? What’s going on?” But he didn’t wait

for my answer. “Give her to me!” he said, moving in on Lincoln, trying to get his hands under Steph and wrangle her away from

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him. Steph was trying to swat at him, but it just made him try

harder. I could understand why. She looked completely out of it.

“Jase!” I yelled over the music. His head swung in my direction, eyes fierce.

I felt like smiling at him, proud to see he would step up like this for his sister. But a pat on the back was not going to help.

“Jase, she’s okay!” I yelled again. “We’re taking her upstairs.” Then I remembered that Dapper wouldn’t want any involvement.

“To the
staff
apartment,” I emphasized, looking at Lincoln. No one else would have noticed the small nod he gave me.

“You’re not taking her anywhere!” Jase yelled. “Give her to me!” He tried again to pull her out of Lincoln’s hold.

Good
luck
with
that.

Lincoln hitched Steph a little higher. “She’s not as light as she looks. I’ve got a good hold on her. How about I get her upstairs, and then you can help her all you want?”

But Jase wasn’t having it, and while his persistence was irritating, I felt a certain pride.

Griffin chose this moment to intervene. He put a hand on

Jase’s shoulder and looked right at him. I knew what he was going to do. Griffin’s strength rests in his ability to find and deliver truth. If truth exists, he can see it in people and also give it to them wholly.

“We are helping her. We haven’t harmed her.”

I saw the shimmer, the slight dusting of Griffin’s power as it

moved from him and into Jase, whose eyes went wide and then,

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unable to deny the truth forced onto him, softened. Griffin nodded Lincoln on.

Lincoln led the way upstairs, taking Steph into Onyx’s apart-

ment and putting her down on the sofa bed.

Jase barged in behind them and sat beside his sister. He might

believe they weren’t trying to hurt her, but he needed to see for himself that she was okay.

“Steph, what’s going on?”

Steph did her best. She was more and more lucid with every minute.

I guessed in an hour or so, she’d be herself again. She pushed up onto the pillows and tried her hardest to keep her eyes open and smile.

“I’m fine. I just feel silly,” she said.

“Where are you hurt?” Jase asked, looking her over.

“Just my face. I was at the library and was leaving to come here, but I fell down the stupid steps.”

“Like I’m buying that!” he said.

“It’s true,” Steph went on, unfazed by her brother’s refusal to get on board. “It was dark and I tripped and hit the railing on the way down.” Her hand went to her face and she winced a little. “The

librarian came out to help me. She gave me a pill, told me it would relax me.” She feigned a sarcastic laugh.

It was actually very believable. Steph was spinning a wicked web while the rest of us remained silent, intently taking in the cover story so we could stick to it later.

“She gave you a pill that made you like this? The librarian?” Jase repeated. He had a pretty good bullshit detector.

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“Yeah. Then Lincoln and his friend Griffin walked by and saw

me outside on the steps.”

Jase looked at Lincoln, who he’d met before, and then over to

Griffin, who gave him a nod of introduction.

“They called Violet and brought me here because they knew

you’d be here.”

And there it was. The triple- twist, double- pike with a 5.0 difficulty and Steph had just brought it home with a perfect landing.

Right in her brother’s lap!

Jase’s tough facade crumbled. He swallowed back what I was

pretty sure was a big old dose of brotherly love and put a hand on her forehead.

“It’s okay, you dope. I’ll get someone to cover for me and take you home.” He turned to me. “Thanks for getting her to me, Vi, and I’m…You know, sorry I was angry.” He looked down, embarrassed.